Pride Season 2016: Out in UL’s trips to Dublin and Limerick Pride!

So, this is our first blog post in a while, and we hope all of our members and friends are enjoying their summer! Even though we’re away from UL, it’s been a lively few weeks for Out in UL as Pride season is in full swing. For the weekend of the 24th-27th June, a number of our members travelled to Dublin for what is Ireland’s largest Pride festival and a fantastic time was had by all. We were among the tens of thousands of people who took part in the annual Dublin Pride Parade on the 25th and it was truly phenomenal.

The Out in UL entourage at the end of the Dublin parade!

Dublin Pride this year came at a very sensitive time for the community as it took place just a couple of weeks after the horrific Pulse massacre in Orlando. This year’s march was for many of its participants very much a show of solidarity towards victims of queerphobic violence and a demonstration of defiance in the midst of hatred and hostility. Of course, it was also a day for the celebration of our community and how amazingly far we have come.

Fast forward three weeks to the 16th July, the day of the Limerick Pride Parade. While nowhere near on the same scale as Dublin Pride, Limerick Pride is a very special event for the city’s LGBTQ+ community. This year the parade was the largest yet and it is amazing to see the extent to which Limerick Pride has grown. A slightly smaller group of Out in UL members and friends marched in the parade and it was equally amazing to Dublin Pride.

Out in UL peeps at Limerick Pride!

Another very special thing about this year’s Limerick Pride is that it was the first time Limerick Pride has ever transgender grand marshal. Broden Giambrone, chief executive of Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI), gave a rousing address at Pridefest in the Hunt Museum gardens where he spoke about the advancement of the trans community and the need for restoring the political meaning behind Pride. This was a very important moment for some of our society’s members and friends and a historic moment for Limerick Pride as a whole.

Without a doubt, this year’s Pride season has been fantastic for our society and we thank all of our members who came along, we hope you guys enjoyed it! We hope everyone has a fantastic second half of summer and we cannot wait to see you all again in September!